 Establishes a limit on antlered bucks and requires that all harvested deer be tagged

 Residents: with purchase of a license/big game permit will receive at no cost
o 8 date specific antlerless deer tags to be used on the customary “doe days”
o 3 antlered deer tags

 Residents may also purchase 2 restricted antlered tags
o Deer must have 4 points on one antler or a minimum 12‐inch inside spread
o Cost $5 each
o Revenue from antler restricted tags must be dedicated to Coyote Management Program

 Residents may also purchase additional individual antlerless tags
o No change from current individual antlerless tag program

 Nonresidents with purchase of a license
o Will not receive any free tags (antlered or antlerless)
o May purchase up to 4 antlered tags 2 unrestricted
 2 restricted: 4 points on one antler or a minimum 12‐inch inside spread
 Cost: $50 for first tag and $20 for each additional ($110 for all 4)
o May purchase individual antlerless tags just as they do now
 Only change from current system is that cost will increase to $10 per tag

 Requires the Department to establish a minimum of
o 3 antlerless days in Game Zone 1
o 8 antlerless days in Game Zones 2, 3 and 4
o Same format that has been in place the last few of years
o Only difference is antlerless deer harvested on these days must be tagged with the free date specific tags issued with license purchase

 Antlerless Deer Quota Program becomes “Deer Quota Program”
o Landowners/Clubs can request to be issued tags for properties as previously
done
o Applicant can choose between receiving antlered and antlerless tags or select
only one type
o Fee remains at $50 per application
o DNR determines the number of tags based on the size/location of the property and the goals of the participant just as the case is now.

In its second regular session, the 121st South Carolina General Assembly authorized funding for deteriorating roads and bridges and reform for the governance and oversight of the state’s transportation infrastructure system. The legislation (S.1258) allows for an estimated total of up to $4.5 billion to be devoted to the state’s roads over the next ten years. This includes: $950 million to repair or replace all structurally-deficient bridges on Interstate and national highways; $2 billion in widenings and improvements to existing Interstates; and, over $1.4 billion in pavement resurfacing. The legislation transfers motor vehicle sales tax revenue and the revenue from various Department of Motor Vehicles fines and fees to the Department of Transportation’s State Highway Fund. Transferred funds may be used for the issuance of bonds through the South Carolina Transportation Infrastructure Bank. These revenue revisions also allow for existing DOT funds to be redirected. The legislation includes a restructuring of the Commission overseeing the South Carolina Department of Transportation that retains the commission’s geographical representation, but provides that legislators would no longer elect commissioners and that all commissioners would, instead, be appointed by the Governor, upon the advice and consent of the Senate and subject to a legislative approval and screening process. Under restructuring, the DOT Commission assumes the responsibility of appointing the Secretary of Transportation, upon the advice and consent of the Senate. In order to afford the chief internal auditor of the Department of Transportation greater independence, the legislation provides for the position to be appointed and overseen by the State Auditor rather than the DOT Commission. Revisions are also provided for the South Carolina Transportation Infrastructure Bank including requirements for the bank’s Board of Directors to obtain approval from the DOT Commission before providing any loans or other financial assistance. The minimum project amount set in Transportation Infrastructure Bank requirements is reduced from $100 million to $25 million. This threshold is lowered to allow more areas to be able to afford local match requirements and take advantage of the bank’s bonding capabilities for financing their transportation projects.

The $7.5 billion Fiscal Year 2016-2017 state government budget (H.5001, H.5002) includes $50 million in nonrecurring funds to be distributed among the County Transportation Committees to use for resurfacing, reconstructing, and repairing roads and bridges in the stateowned secondary road system. $84 million in Department of Motor Vehicles fees and fines and $131 million in motor vehicle sales tax revenue is transferred to the State Highway Fund. $49 million is allocated to the Department of Transportation to address road repair costs from the October 2015 flood damage. $72 million in nonrecurring funds is allocated as the full state and local match for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funds for the 2015 catastrophic flood response. $30 million is provided for coastal beach renourishment. The Department of Health and Environmental Control receives full funding for its dam safety inspection and permitting program. For K-12 public education, $218 million is used to increase the base student cost by $130 to arrive at an estimated $2,350 per pupil. The budget legislation makes provisions for a 2% teacher salary increase along with a one year step increase for teacher salaries and an increase in the state salary schedule to 23 years. The K-12 technology initiative is afforded $29.3 million in Education Lottery proceeds. The State Department of Education is provided $18 million in Education Lottery proceeds for instructional materials. $23 million, including $2 million in nonrecurring funds, is provided for new school buses. The budget includes $28 million in recurring increases for the state’s colleges and universities. $10 million is provided for the Children’s Hospital at MUSC. $13.5 million in nonrecurring funds is devoted to worker training through the Ready SC Program at the state’s technical colleges. A 3.25% state employee pay increase is provided with $54.3 million in recurring funds. $26 million is included to cover the increased costs of operating the state’s health and dental insurance plans with no increases in the premiums paid by employees and no reductions in coverage. The Local Government Fund receives $12.5 million in recurring dollars and $10.6 million in nonrecurring dollars for total funding of $233.1 million. $5 million is provided for a Rural Health Initiative partnership between DHHS and the USC School of Medicine to enhance the recruitment of physicians to practice in underserved areas and to improve access to life-saving emergency room care in the wake of rural hospital closures. Telemedicine is afforded $10 million through the Healthy Outcomes provisions and an additional $2 million in recurring funds. $2.8 million is allocated to the Rural Infrastructure Fund that is used to provide grants for water and sewer projects that facilitate economic development in rural areas. $8 million is included for a new Statewide Water and Sewer Fund that allows areas that do not meet the criteria for being considered rural to obtain grants for sewer and water projects that are needed to support economic development. $17 million is provided for the Deal Closing Fund that the Department of Commerce uses to recruit new business to the state. The Department of Commerce is afforded $6 million for the Locate SC Site Inventory for potential business relocation prospects and $2 million for the Office of Innovation to support high-tech and high-growth industries.

Lawmakers approved legislation (H.4717) that responds to the unprecedented damage of the October 2015 floods by creating the “South Carolina Farm Aid Fund” to assist farmers in order to prevent the economic collapse of many of the state’s farms which could cause a severe disruption in the state’s economy and food supply chain. Established with a $40 million appropriation from the 20142015 Contingency Reserve Fund, the Farm Aid Fund is created for making financial awards to farmers who experienced significant losses in the catastrophic flooding of October 2015. Grant awards must be used for expenses that demonstrate an intent to continue the agricultural operation, such as purchases of seed and fertilizer.

The General Assembly approved legislation crafted to address the State Supreme Court’s ruling in the long-running education lawsuit concerning the extent of the state’s responsibility for providing free public education under the South Carolina Constitution. The General Assembly approved legislation (H.4936) designating educational goals for all South Carolina high school graduates, along with the standards and areas of learning by which these goals are measured, in order to ensure that graduates have the world class knowledge and skills needed for college and career readiness. Lawmakers approved education reform initiatives (H.4939) that require the State Department of Education to develop a system for providing academic assistance, assistance with finances, and other technical support to local school districts and make annual progress reports on the impact of this assistance in terms of such factors as student academic achievement and high school graduation rates. The department is charged with new responsibilities for monitoring underperforming school districts to recommend improvements in the districts’ professional development of teachers, staff, and administrators and changes that will allow school boards to operate more efficiently and effectively. A periodic review of education laws is established for the purpose of culling out obsolete state provisions and identifying all federal education statutes and regulations along with the cost for compliance. The Office of Transformation is established within the State Department of Education (H.4940) to coordinate technical assistance for underperforming schools and districts. A higher education survey on teaching in rural and economically challenged school districts was authorized (H.4938) to question students enrolled in the state’s colleges of education on whether they have considered teaching in such districts and what incentives might prompt them to move to, and work in, such areas.

The “South Carolina Founding Principles Act” (H.3848) was approved to incorporate into the social studies standards for the state’s public schools and the required study of the United States Constitution instruction on such topics as the Federalist Papers, the structure of government and the role of the separation of powers, and the freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution’s Bill of Rights.

The General Assembly approved enhancements to the state’s Ethics, Government Accountability, and Campaign Reform Act. Legislation (H.3184) was enacted to provide for more independent means of investigating alleged misconduct of public officials by discontinuing current practices of the legislative and executive branches of state government each exclusively investigating the alleged ethics violations of their own members and instead providing for allegations of public misconduct to be investigated by a reconstituted State Ethics Commission made up of members selected by both of these branches of government. The investigations of the State Ethics Commission are to be conducted in strict confidentiality, but, when the commission makes a recommendation that probable cause exists regarding alleged violations, the complaint and certain other documents and materials become public. If a recommendation of probable cause involves the legislative branch, the commission’s report is relayed to the appropriate legislative ethics committee to pursue the matter and decide if it is appropriate to take such actions as imposing penalties, issuing reprimands, or recommending that the legislative body expel a member. The reconstituted Ethics Commission continues to exercise its responsibilities over those in the executive branch of state government and others who are subject to the state’s Ethics Act provisions such as local government officials. Provisions are made for more expansive statements of economic interests for public officials and others who are required to make these Ethics Act filings with the passage of legislation (H.3186) that revises disclosure requirements so that they address not only public money, but also require a listing of the private source and type of any income received in the previous year by those who are filing with the Ethics Commission and their immediate family members.

Lawmakers approved legislation (S.267) shortening the legislative session by making provisions for the regular annual session of the General Assembly to end by the second Thursday in May rather than the current deadline for final adjournment of the first Thursday in June.

The General Assembly approved legislation (S.1166) addressing debt and academic accreditation issues at South Carolina State University. SC State has demonstrated improvements that have allowed the institution to be taken off probation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and retain its accreditation. The joint resolution makes provisions for the forgiveness of $12 million in state loans to South Carolina State University over the course of three years if the university meets specified benchmarks such as maintaining academic accreditation, achieving progress towards a balanced budget and positive net financial position, and meeting student enrollment growth goals. A revised repayment schedule is provided for the $6 million state loan to SC State that was approved by the Budget and Control Board. The authority for instituting cost-saving mandatory employee furlough programs at the university is extended through Fiscal Year 20212022. The budget legislation (H.5001, H.5002) includes $4.6 million to address the university’s debt.

Legislators approved the “Tucker Hipps Transparency Act” (H.4521), legislation named in memory of the Clemson University student who died during a fraternity activity on September 22, 2014. The legislation requires the state’s public institutions of higher education, excluding technical colleges, to maintain reports detailing student misconduct investigations related to fraternity and sorority organizations formally affiliated with the institution that include violations of a Student Code of Conduct for offenses involving alcohol, drugs, sexual assault, physical assault, and hazing. Colleges and universities must make these reports available to the public by posting them on their Internet websites and must furnish printed notifications about the reports to those who attend student orientation.

The ”South Carolina Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act” (H.3114) was approved to establish a prohibition on the performance of abortions beginning at twenty weeks following fertilization. Exceptions are provided to permit these late term abortions in order to prevent the death or serious physical impairment of the mother as well as in instances where a fetal anomaly is present that is likely to prevent a child’s life from being sustained after birth.

The “South Carolina AntiMoney Laundering Act” (H.4554) was approved as a means of rectifying South Carolina’s status as the only U.S. state lacking comprehensive regulatory authority over money transfers which has made the state a center for money laundering activities that facilitate organized criminal enterprises and terrorist activities. The legislation establishes new requirements for the licensure and regulation of money transmission and currency exchange services with the South Carolina Attorney General. Penalties are established for violations including felony criminal penalties for falsifying records and engaging in illicit money transfers involving larger dollar amounts. The jurisdiction of the state grand jury is expanded to include AntiMoney Laundering Act violations.

Lawmakers established crimes involving counterfeit or nonfunctional airbags in motor vehicles (S.1015) to prohibit these unlawful airbags from being imported, manufactured, sold, or installed and to disallow tampering with a diagnostic system to inaccurately indicate that a motor vehicle is equipped with a properly functioning airbag.

The “Bad Faith Assertion of Patent Infringement Act” (H.3682) was approved to respond to the activities of so-called patent trolls who make abusive assertions relating to intellectual property such as false accusations of patent rights infringement. The legislation establishes criteria for determining which demands for payment of license fees or threats of litigation constitute unlawful bad faith assertions of patent infringement and provides legal remedies for those targeted by such practices.

The Coordinating Council of Workforce Development (H.4145) was created for sharing information, encouraging collaboration, and making policy recommendations on how to make the most of the state’s various initiatives for training the current and emerging workforce to meet the needs of South Carolina’s economy.

Legislation (H.4639) was approved to authorize the Commission on Higher Education to enter into interstate reciprocity agreements governing the operation of postsecondary distance education programs offered by accredited degreegranting institutions of higher learning in South Carolina. Since colleges and universities that offer online education programs must obtain authorization in every state where a pupil resides, the legislation is offered as a means of making this authorization process less complex and expensive by allowing the institutions of higher learning in South Carolina to make use of a single distance education protocol that applies in all the states that have entered into a reciprocity agreement.

Lawmakers approved legislation (H.3891) revising motor vehicle rental company fees as a means of encouraging rental companies to title and register their vehicle fleets in this state.

Legislators approved renewable energy tax incentives (H.3874) that include an income tax credit to encourage the installation of large-scale solar energy collection equipment on certain environmental clean-up sites so that these properties can be put to productive use.

The General Assembly approved legislation (S.427) authorizing tax incentives for agricultural packaging operations. The legislation also provides that agricultural businesses must be considered by the Department of Commerce and the Coordinating Council for Economic Development in awarding benefits for economic development projects.

The South Carolina Veterans and Warriors to Agriculture Program (S.1028) was created to integrate veterans into the field of agriculture and support veterans currently working in agriculture.

Legislators authorized tax relief for military retirees (H.3147) by phasing in over the course of five years a South Carolina individual income tax deduction for military retirement benefits in an amount of up to thirty thousand dollars each year for those who are at least sixtyfive years old and up to seventeen thousand five hundred dollars each year for younger taxpayers. A surviving spouse receiving military retirement income is eligible for the deductions.

Legislation was approved (H.5193) to make enhancements to the “South Carolina Overdose Prevention Act” that all allow for more expansive dispensation of opioid antidotes to those who may be at risk of a drug overdose. The legislation also directs the state’s Department of Health and Environmental Control to study the use of marijuana in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder in veterans as a possible alternative to opioid prescriptions.

Legislation (H.4816) was approved to designate June 27th of each year as South Carolina PostTraumatic Stress Injury (PTSI) Awareness Day.

The “South Carolina Telemedicine Act” (S.1035) was approved to revise statutes governing the practice of medicine to incorporate provisions for telemedicine which involves the use of such means as electronic communications and information technology to allow a physician to practice medicine in one location while the patient is in another location.

“Hope’s Law” (S.339) was enacted to establish requirements for mammography reports to be provided to patients that include information about dense breast tissue which makes mammogram results more difficult to evaluate and may also be associated with an increased risk of breast cancer.

The “Cervical Cancer Prevention Act” (H.3204) was approved to provide authority for the Department of Health and Environmental Control to offer voluntary cervical cancer vaccination, the human papillomavirus vaccination (HPV) series, for adolescent students including those enrolling in the seventh grade in any school, public, private, or home schooling program, in this state. The legislation specifies that vaccination is not mandatory for students and parental consent requirements are included for vaccinations provided by DHEC. The department may develop and provide informational brochures concerning adolescent vaccinations.

“Ronald Rouse’s Law” (H.3265) was enacted to establish new requirements for public high school students to receive cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training including handsonly CPR training and awareness in the use of an automated external defibrillator (AED).

The “Emergency Anaphylaxis Treatment Act” (H.3706) was approved to allow authorized institutions, organizations, and businesses, such as colleges and universities, daycare facilities, places of worship, restaurants, places of employment, recreation camps, youth sports leagues, amusement parks, and sports arenas, to keep supplies of epinephrine auto-injectors, also known as EpiPens, in stock to administer this potentially life-saving medication to those who are experiencing severe allergic reactions. The legislation establishes a protocol that allows physicians and certain other healthcare professionals to prescribe stock supplies of epinephrine auto-injectors for these authorized places that may be administered by designated individuals who have completed required training on the proper use of these auto-injectors and how to recognize the symptoms of severe allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis. The legislation affords certain immunity from legal liability regarding the good faith use of epinephrine auto-injectors.

The General Assembly approved legislation (H.3145) affording protection from legal liability for those who take actions to prevent hot car deaths of children and vulnerable adults who are left unattended in locked motor vehicles. The legislation provides that a person is immune from civil liability for the property damage resulting from a forcible entry into a motor vehicle for the purpose of rescuing a minor or vulnerable adult who appears to be in imminent danger of suffering harm.

Legislation (H.5218) was approved designating the month of May of every year as “Water Safety Awareness Month” in South Carolina to promote an understanding of the critical importance of water safety practices in an effort to reduce drowning deaths among children in this state.

The “Eye Care Consumer Protection Law” (S.1016) was enacted to establish requirements for spectacles and contact lenses to be dispensed to patients only with valid prescriptions from optometrists and physicians properly licensed in South Carolina. A prescription for spectacles or contact lenses may not be based solely on eye scans generated by an automated kiosk.

“The Right To Try Act” (H.4542) was approved to provide authorization for physicians to prescribe certain promising experimental treatments to terminally ill patients who have considered and exhausted all other treatment options currently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The General Assembly approved legislation (H.4773), designated as “Margy’s Law”, which expands South Carolina’s Emergency Medical Services Do Not Resuscitate Order Act by including provisions for a Do Not Resuscitate bracelet that may be worn by someone with a terminal condition to signify to health care providers and EMS personnel that they are to withhold resuscitative treatment in keeping with an official order.

In response to a maternal death rate in South Carolina that exceeds the national average, legislation (H.3251) was approved to establish the Maternal Morbidity and Mortality Review Committee under the Department of Health and Environmental Control to review maternal deaths and develop strategies for their prevention.

Legislators approved enhancements for foster care that include limitations on the number of children who may be placed in a foster home (H.4510) and provisions for the Department of Social Services to normalize the lives of children in foster care by allowing a caregiver, without the department’s prior approval, to make decisions similar to those a parent would be entitled to make regarding a child’s participation in age or developmentally appropriate extracurricular, enrichment, cultural, and social activities such as sports, field trips, social activities, vacations, employment opportunities, and after school programs (H.4546).

Lawmakers made provisions for two additional at-large family court judges (H.4877).

The General Assembly approved a bill (H.4387) prohibiting state and local law enforcement agencies from requiring officers to meet a quota for the number of citations issued. Employees who file official reports of alleged violations are protected by the state’s “Whistle Blower Act”.

Legislation (H.4878) was approved to establish confidentiality provisions for communications with law enforcement peersupport teams, made up of such personnel as chaplains, mental health professionals, and public safety peers, which provide emotional and moral support to public safety employees and their immediate family members following critical incidents.

Lawmakers approved legislation (H.5299) that establishes a certification process to provide authority for businesses to transport necessary goods and services to disaster areas during curfews.

Funding for firefighting needs and emergency medical services training was approved in legislation (S.973) that allocates a portion of insurance premium tax revenues to support firefighting and equipment replacement at the South Carolina Forestry Commission, equipment replacement and VSAFE grants for local fire departments, and grants for training emergency medical technicians and paramedics.

The General Assembly approved legislation (S.454) that makes comprehensive provisions for the issuance of deer hunting tags for in-state residents and non-residents. This new tagging system does not revise game zones or seasons, but it does include requirements for hunters to tag every deer taken in the state.
Responding to innovations in such areas as wireless communications and Internet-based services that have transformed the telecommunications marketplace over the course of recent years, the “State Telecom Equity in Funding Act” (S.277) was approved to revise statutory requirements for telecommunications service providers to make contributions to the Universal Service Fund as well as to the program that provides specialized telecommunications services to those who are deaf or have other hearing or speech impairments.

Legislation (S.21) was approved to authorize the issuance of driver’s licenses to those who use bioptic telescopic lenses for vision assistance so long as these individuals satisfy specialized training requirements and meet other criteria. Drivers who use these lenses are subject to certain restrictions such as driving only during daylight hours, no driving during adverse weather conditions that significantly reduce visibility, a maximum speed of fifty miles per hour, no driving on an interstate highway, and a prohibition on operating a motorcycle, moped, or motor scooter.

Lawmakers designated January 17th of each year as “Eartha Kitt Day” in South Carolina (H.3036) to honor the late Eartha Mae Kitt, nationally and internationally known actress, singer, and native South Carolinian, and to promote cultural tourism in the state.

Legislation (H.5020) was approved to declare the third Saturday in May of each year as “South Carolina Day of Service” when all South Carolinians are encouraged to lend a hand to make a positive difference.

The General Assembly made provisions for adding a Habitat for Humanity check off on income tax forms (H.4765) that may be used to make voluntary contributions to support the organization’s charitable house building programs.

The “South Carolina Public Prayer and Invocation Act” (S.233) was approved to make revisions that are in keeping with particular court rulings to the statutory protocol governing the way in which a deliberative public body may invite religious leaders to offer voluntary public invocations at its meetings.

Addressing an abiding concern of the late South Carolina Senator, the “Clementa C. Pinckney Uniform Partition of Heirs’ Property Act” (H.3325) is named in memory of Pinckney, who, while serving in his capacity as Senior Pastor of Charleston’s historic Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, was shot to death along with eight members of his congregation as they gathered for an evening Bible study on June 17, 2015. Lawmakers approved the legislation to establish a protocol for partitioning real estate when a court determines that the land meets the criteria established for heirs’ property as a means of preserving property rights in situations where land has been passed down through generations without written wills or properly probated wills so that the property is owned in common by multiple heirs.

The House of Representatives returned S.1258, a bill addressing ROAD FUNDING AND DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION RESTRUCTURING, to the Senate with amendments. The legislation allows for an estimated total of up to $4.5 billion to be devoted to the state’s roads over the next ten years. This includes: $950 million to repair or replace all structurally-deficient bridges on Interstate and national highways; $2 billion in widenings and improvements to existing Interstates; and, over $1.4 billion in pavement resurfacing. The legislation transfers motor vehicle sales tax revenue and the revenue from various Department of Motor Vehicles fines and fees to the Department of Transportation’s State Highway Fund. Transferred funds may be used for the issuance of bonds through the South Carolina Transportation Infrastructure Bank. The Infrastructure Bank projects that are financed utilizing these transferred funds do not require a local match. The legislation’s revenue revisions also allow for existing Department of Transportation funds to be redirected. Under the legislation, the Department of Transportation is charged with developing and implementing a needs-based weighting methodology to allocate funding within the state funded road resurfacing program, which must include consideration on a county-by-county basis, to ensure that each county in the state is guaranteed funding. The legislation includes a restructuring of the Commission overseeing the South Carolina Department of Transportation that retains the commission’s geographical representation, but provides that legislators would no longer elect commissioners and that all commissioners would, instead, be appointed by the Governor, upon the advice and consent of the General Assembly. Commissioners are to serve at the pleasure of the Governor and their terms of service are limited to a maximum of twelve years. Under restructuring, the DOT Commission assumes the responsibility of appointing the Secretary of Transportation, upon the advice and consent of the General Assembly. In order to afford the chief internal auditor of the Department of Transportation greater independence, the legislation provides for the department’s chief internal auditor to be appointed and overseen by the State Auditor rather than the DOT Commission. The legislation also provides for revisions to the South Carolina Transportation Infrastructure Bank. Before providing a loan or other financial assistance, the Board of Directors that oversees the Infrastructure Bank must, under the legislation, submit its decision to the Department of Transportation Commission for its consideration. The DOT Commission can, in turn, approve or reject the decision or request additional information from the bank’s board of directors. The Infrastructure Bank’s policy of following the SC Department of Transportation’s project priority criteria is established as a statutory requirement. The General Assembly may, however, enact a joint resolution specifically allowing the bank to fund a project without using DOT’s prioritization criteria. The minimum project amount set in Transportation Infrastructure Bank requirements is lowered from $100 million to $25 million. This threshold is lowered to allow more areas to be able to afford local match requirements and take advantage of the bank’s bonding capabilities for financing their transportation projects.

Additionally, the House granted free conference powers to include within H.3579, the same ROAD FUNDING AND DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION RESTRUCTURING provisions that the House sent the Senate in S.1258.

The House appointed a conference committee to address its differences with the Senate on H.5001, the General Appropriation Bill, and H.5002, the joint resolution making appropriations from the Capital Reserve Fund, which together comprise the proposed FISCAL YEAR 2016-2017 STATE GOVERNMENT BUDGET.

The Senate and the House adopted S.1336, a concurrent resolution to provide for the GENERAL ASSEMBLY’S ADJOURNMENT for the year. The resolution includes authorization for the General Assembly to return after this year’s June 2 deadline for final adjournment to meet during a period beginning June 15 and, if necessary, extending until June 22 during which time lawmakers may consider only a limited list of matters, such as budget legislation, conference and free conference committee reports, and the Governor’s vetoes.

The House amended Senate amendments to H.3186 and returned the bill to the Senate. The legislation provides for MORE EXPANSIVE STATEMENTS OF ECONOMIC INTERESTS for public officials and others who are required to make these filings under the Ethics, Government Accountability, and Campaign Reform Act. Disclosure requirements are revised so that they address not only public money, but also require a listing of the private source and type of any income received in the previous year by the filer or a member of his immediate family. Exceptions are included to apply to such sources of income as pensions, mutual funds, and interest from bank accounts. Under the legislation, a statement of economic interests must also include the source, type, and amount of any income received in the previous year by the filer or a member of his immediate family from a direct contractual or employment relationship with a lobbyist principal. This includes consulting, acting as an independent contractor, salary, or any other arrangement from which payment in return for services or goods is made by a lobbyist principal to a filer or a member of his immediate family. The legislation also establishes REPORTING REQUIREMENTS FOR INDEPENDENT EXPENDITURES AND ELECTIONEERING COMMUNICATIONS that are made to influence the outcome of an election or ballot measure question. The legislation requires reports to be made to the State Ethics Commission by those individuals and groups, not already subject to the campaign finance requirements imposed upon committees, who make an independent expenditure in excess of five hundred dollars during a year or who engage in electioneering communications. Electioneering communications are mass communications making use of broadcast television, cable, satellite communication, mass postal mailing, or telephone banks during set periods before elections and primaries that refer to a clearly identified candidate for elected office or ballot measure. Such matters as news coverage and candidate debates are not considered electioneering communications. The required reports must include such matters as detailed descriptions of expenditures, identifying and contact information for those filing the report, and identification of contributors who have made donations exceeding one hundred dollars.

The House amended S.913 and gave the bill second reading approval. The legislation provides for ENHANCEMENTS TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT provisions which guarantee citizens’ access to government proceedings and public documents. The legislation adjusts time frames for responding to FOIA requests to require more prompt compliance from public bodies, but additional time is allowed for compiling older documents. The fees that government bodies may charge for complying with FOIA requests are revised to better ensure that they do not become prohibitive. Under the revisions, fees may not exceed the actual cost of the search, retrieval, and redaction of records and fee calculations must utilize the hourly salary of the lowest paid employee qualified to perform the request. Public bodies must develop fee schedules to be posted online. Copying fees may not exceed prevailing commercial rates and public bodies may require a deposit, not to exceed twentyfive percent of the total cost for reproduction of the records, before beginning work on the request. The legislation accommodates the electronic transmission of requested records. Enforcement provisions for the Freedom of Information Act are revised in an effort to make them more effective. The rarely-utilized misdemeanor penalty for FOIA violations is eliminated and unfulfilled FOIA requests may instead be pursued through civil actions. The Office of Freedom of Information Act Review is created within the Administrative Law Court under the supervision of the Chief Administrative Law Judge to decide disputes regarding FOIA requests. The review office is offered as a new resource that citizens may use to obtain the access to public documents promised by the Freedom of Information Act without bearing the legal costs involved in compelling a government body to fulfill its FOIA responsibilities through a court challenge.

The House appointed a conference committee to address its differences with the Senate on H.3184, a bill establishing enhancements to ethics laws by providing for MORE INDEPENDENT MEANS OF INVESTIGATING ALLEGED MISCONDUCT OF PUBLIC OFFICIALS in the legislative and executive branches of government.

The House concurred in Senate amendments to H.4939, a bill to provide for EDUCATION REFORM INITIATIVES, and enrolled the legislation for ratification. Through this legislation, the General Assembly directs the State Superintendent of Education, the executive director of the Education Oversight Committee, the chairman of the House Education and Public Works Committee, and the chairman of the Senate Education Committee to each appoint one representative to a committee to be chaired by the appointee of the State Superintendent of Education to review the state’s education laws found in Title 59 of the South Carolina Code and report to the General Assembly on all statutes that are found to be obsolete or no longer applicable. The report must also identify all the federal education statutes and regulations with which the state of South Carolina is required to comply and include the total cost to the state for compliance. This report must be submitted by December 31, 2016, and updated at least every five years thereafter. The State Department of Education is required to develop a system for providing services and technical assistance to school districts that must include academic assistance and assistance with finances. The State Superintendent of Education must report the initial design of the system to the General Assembly by December 31, 2016, and then provide an annual progress report on the system that includes data documenting the impact of the assistance to the local school districts on student academic achievement and on high school graduation rates. Additionally, the State Department of Education is charged with monitoring the professional development of teachers, staff, and administrators in districts it determines are underperforming to ascertain what improvements and changes are necessary in accordance with the provisions of the Education Accountability Act. The department also shall monitor the operations of school boards in underperforming districts in order to determine if they are operating efficiently and effectively. These improvements and changes must be communicated to the school districts and other involved parties.
The House concurred in Senate amendments to H.4938, a joint resolution providing for a SURVEY OF THE STATE’S COLLEGE STUDENTS ON TEACHING IN RURAL AND ECONOMICALLY CHALLENGED SCHOOL DISTRICTS, and enrolled the legislation for ratification. The legislation directs the State Department of Education (SDE) and the Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention, and Advancement (CERRA) to collaborate with the Commission of Higher Education in surveying students enrolled in the state’s colleges of education. This survey is to be administered to those college students who have been fully admitted into their institution’s teacher education program, and similar survey information may be obtained from students in other programs at the state’s institutions of higher learning through other means. The survey must include such questions as whether students have considered teaching in a rural and economically challenged districts and what incentives, if any, would cause them to move to, and work in, such a district. Survey results must be reported to the General Assembly by December 1, 2016.

The House concurred in Senate amendments to H.3560, a bill revising TEACHER DISMISSAL provisions. Notably, the legislation affords school districts the option of making use of new authority to delegate the conduct of evidentiary hearings to qualified hearing officers. The legislation provides that the superintendent or his designee may meet with the teacher before issuing a notice of dismissal to discuss alternative resolutions. The parties attending this meeting must have the option of having a representative present.

The House concurred in Senate amendments to H.4413 and enrolled the bill for ratification. The legislation revises SAFE HAVENS FOR ABANDONED BABIES provisions that designate locations, such as hospitals, police stations, and fire stations, where someone may leave an infant under certain circumstances without criminal penalty. The legislation requires all such locations to post a notice on the premises that prominently displays to the public that the facility, agency, or other location is a designated safe haven at which a person may leave an infant. The legislation also provides that the safe haven provisions apply to infants who are no more than sixty days old rather than the current standard of no more than thirty days old.

The House concurred in Senate amendments to H.4546, a bill ENHANCING REQUIREMENTS AND REVIEWS REGARDING CHILDREN PLACED IN FOSTER CARE, and enrolled the legislation for ratification. The legislation includes provisions for the Department of Social Services to normalize the lives of children in foster care by allowing a caregiver, without the department’s prior approval, to make decisions similar to those a parent would be entitled to make regarding a child’s participation in age or developmentally appropriate extracurricular, enrichment, cultural, and social activities such as sports, field trips, social activities, vacations, employment opportunities, and after school programs. In determining whether to allow a child in foster care to participate in an activity, a caregiver must exercise the reasonable and prudent parent standard. DSS must provide to a foster child a document describing the rights of the child regarding education, health, visitation, court participation, and the right to stay safe and avoid exploitation, and obtain a signed acknowledgement from the child upon receipt.

The House concurred in Senate amendments to H.3653 and enrolled the bill for ratification. The legislation revises the “Law Enforcement Assistance and Support Act” to include provisions for LAW ENFORCEMENT MUTUAL AID AGREEMENTS that allow for the sharing of officers and other law enforcement resources among state, county, municipal, or other agencies.

The House concurred in Senate amendments to H.4548, a bill addressing CLOSING FEES CHARGED BY MOTOR VEHICLE DEALERS, and enrolled the legislation for ratification. Responding to a 2015 ruling from the South Carolina Supreme Court, the legislation revises provisions authorizing motor vehicle dealers to charge closing fees in motor vehicle sales for all administrative and financial work needed to transfer the motor vehicle such as compliance with all state, federal, and lender requirements, preparation and retrieval of documents, protection of the private personal information of the consumer, records retention, and storage costs. The legislation establishes a process for the Department of Consumer Affairs to review proposed closing fees to determine whether they are reasonable in amount. A motor vehicle dealer is, however, authorized to charge a closing fee of no more than two hundred twenty-five dollars per vehicle which is considered to be automatically approved as reasonable under these provisions without having to be submitted to the department for review.

The House approved S.1252 and enrolled the bill for ratification. The legislation establishes provisions that require the State Fire Marshal to issue a license for a COMMUNITY FIREWORKS DISPLAY in a county with a population of less than thirty thousand if certain safety conditions and other requirements are met.

The House approved S.685, and enrolled the bill for ratification. The legislation revises the provisions governing the licensure and regulation of ENGINEERS AND SURVEYORS, including: revisions to training requirements; requirements that certain members of the South Carolina State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Surveyors must be actively practicing their professions; provisions governing the operation of branch offices; and, authorization for the issuance of a waiver of licensing and credentialing requirements for up to ninety days to allow out-of-state engineers to respond to emergencies in South Carolina.

The House approved S.1177 and enrolled the bill for ratification. The legislation revises provisions for the professional licensure of architects by replacing provisions for the “Intern Development Program” with provisions for the “ARCHITECTURAL EXPERIENCE PROGRAM”. The program allows students to receive academic credit for internship experience as a means of facilitating entry into the field of architecture.

The House concurred in Senate amendments to S.454 and enrolled the bill for ratification. The legislation provides for the issuance of DEER HUNTING TAGS for in-state residents and non-residents. This new tagging system does not revise game zones or seasons, but it does include requirements for hunters to tag every deer taken in the state. The legislation provides for the Department of Natural Resources to issue eight doe day specific tags and three buck tags with the purchase of a South Carolina hunting license and big game permit for in-state residents. Hunters (including youth and gratis licensees) will have the option to purchase two additional buck (with four points on one side or a minimum 12-inch antler spread) tags at $5 each and/or four additional doe tags at $5 each. All funds collected from the two additional buck tags sales will go into a Coyote Management Program. With the purchase of a hunting license and big game permit, non-resident hunters will pay $50 for the first purchased antlered tag and $20 for each additional antlered tag (with a maximum purchase of four tags of which two must have size restriction). There is a $10 charge for each antlerless tag purchased. The legislation provides for antlerless and antlered deer limits to be two doe taken per day and two bucks taken per day. The Department of Natural Resources to provide a report of a fouryear study by July 1, 2022, to the Chairman of the Senate Fish, Game and Forestry Committee and the Chairman of the House Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs Committee on such issues as the status of state’s the whitetailed deer population and a review of the tagging program.

The House approved S.381, a bill addressing SERVICE CREDIT PURCHASES IN STATE RETIREMENT SYSTEMS FOR THOSE TERMINATED JUST BEFORE ATTAINING RETIREMENT ELIGIBILITY, and enrolled the legislation for ratification. The legislation provides that an active member of the South Carolina Retirement System or South Carolina Police Officers Retirement System who is terminated within one year of retirement eligibility shall have five business days after the date of termination to purchase any service credit that the member is eligible to purchase as provided in order to attain retirement eligibility.

The House approved S.933, relating to PETITIONS FOR RECEIVING A HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA THAT WAS DENIED SOLELY BECAUSE OF A FAILURE TO MEET FORMER EXIT EXAM REQUIREMENTS, and enrolled the bill for ratification. The legislation eliminates the deadline for submitting a petition to receive a high school diploma by someone who is no longer enrolled in a public school and who previously failed to receive a high school diploma or was denied graduation solely for failing to pass the exit exam that was formerly required for high school graduation. A two-year extension is provided for the report that the South Carolina Department of Education must prepare on the number of high school diplomas granted under these provisions so that the report has a deadline of January 31, 2019.

The House returned S.689, relating MOTORCYCLES AND MOPEDS, to the Senate with amendments and the Senate subsequently concurred in those amendments and enrolled the bill for ratification. The legislation provides that no person shall ride upon a motorcycle as a passenger unless, when sitting astride the seat, the person can reach the footrests with both feet. This provision does not apply to someone riding in a motorcycle sidecar. The legislation revises provisions for motorcycle and moped beginner’s permits, to provide that a permittee may not operate a motorcycle at any unpermitted time unless supervised by a licensed motorcycle operator 21 years old and with one year of experience. The moped requirement notes a permittee may not operate a moped at any other time unless accompanied by a licensed driver twentyone years of age or older who has at least one year of driving experience. The legislation eliminates the requirement that a parent or guardian must provide the required supervision. The accompanying driver must be within a safe viewing distance of the permittee when the permittee is operating a motorcycle or a moped.

The House approved S.1111, relating to MOTOR VEHICLE MANUFACTURERS’ LICENSE PLATES, and enrolled the bill for ratification. The legislation revises provisions for the issuance of a standard license plate to a manufacturer for vehicles it has manufactured and which are used in a benefit program for the manufacturer’s employees or used by the manufacturer for testing, distribution, evaluation, and promotion. The legislation provides that the annual registration fee for this plate is derived by computing the average price of the vehicle manufacturer’s fleet times the property tax rates times the average millage for all purposes statewide for the preceding calendar year, and charges the Department of Revenue with determining the annual registration fee and then notifying the Department of Motor Vehicles of the adjusted fee amount, which is effective for the next two years. For 2017 and 2018, the legislation sets this license plate’s annual registration fee at seven hundred eightynine dollars.

The House returned S.1166, a joint resolution ADDRESSING DEBT AND ACADEMIC ACCREDITATION ISSUES AT SOUTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY, to the Senate with amendments. The legislation makes provisions for the forgiveness of $12 million in state loans disbursed to South Carolina State University over the course of three years if the university meets specified benchmarks such as maintaining academic accreditation, achieving progress towards a balanced budget and positive net financial position, and meeting student enrollment growth goals. The authority for institution cost-saving mandatory employee furlough programs at the university is extended through Fiscal Year 20212022.

The House voted not to concur in Senate amendments to H.4492, a bill revising NOTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS FOR DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES CHILD PLACEMENT HEARINGS.

The House gave second reading approval to S.932, a bill providing a DEADLINE EXTENSION FOR RECEIVING CERTAIN ARMED FORCES PROPERTY TAX ASSESSMENT RATIOS. This bill revises provisions relating to property tax assessment ratios, so as to revise an application deadline for certain property owned by certain members of the armed forces. The legislation includes provisions for taxpayers who were qualified to receive the special assessment rate for tax year 2014 or 2015, but who missed the application deadline, to receive refunds.

The House returned S.973, a bill extending and revising provisions for DEVOTING A PORTION OF INSURANCE PREMIUM TAX REVENUES TO THE FUNDING OF FIREFIGHTING NEEDS AND EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES TRAINING, to the Senate with amendments. The legislation extends until June 30, 2030, the requirement for using two and onequarter percent of each year’s insurance premium tax revenues to fund emergency response needs and redistributes the revenue so that: one percent is transferred to the South Carolina Forestry Commission to be used for firefighting and firefighting equipment replacement; one percent is transferred to the aid to fire districts account within the State Treasury to be distributed to local fire departments for firefighting equipment replacement, with half of annually allocated funds to be distributed equally among the state’s fire departments and the remaining balance used to fund the VSAFE grant program for local volunteer fire departments; and, one quarter of one percent is transferred to the aid to emergency medical services regional councils within the Department of Health and Environmental Control to be used for grants to fund emergency medical technician and paramedic training.

The House returned S.280 to the Senate with amendments. This bill revises provisions relating to financial statements and net worth requirements for GENERAL CONTRACTORS AND MECHANICAL CONTRACTORS, so as to adjust and update the net worth requirements for licensure and license renewal. The legislation includes a provision to specify that a contractor’s license is not required for certain installation, repair, or maintenance of a sign or billboard.

(Columbia, SC) – House Speaker Jay Lucas (District 65-Darlington) issued the following statement after the House amended S. 1258, a bill that allocates through bonding and other means over $4 billion for interstate needs, road resurfacing, and bridge repair over the next ten years. Today’s House passage of S. 1258 provides another opportunity for a road funding bill (although partial) to be signed into law by Governor Haley before the end of the legislative session.

“Members of the House understand that the people of South Carolina expect their Legislature to pass a roads bill this year. Although more effort must be made next session to find a long-term funding stream, this bill is a starting point that allows for adequate repair of deficient roads and bridges without raiding our state’s General Fund,” Speaker Lucas stated.

The Senate version of S. 1258 only provided for bonding/funding and did not address DOT reform. The Ways and Means Committee successfully amended the bill prior to debate on the House floor to include DOT reform, which gives (1) the Governor the ability to appoint all Highway Commissioners, and (2) the Highway Commission the authority to appoint a Department of Transportation Secretary with the advice and consent of the General Assembly.

“DOT reform is a crucial piece to the road funding puzzle. The General Assembly should not give another penny to the Department of Transportation without certain accountability requirements in place to ensure taxpayer dollars are spent wisely. I am very pleased the House successfully amended the Senate version to include governance restructuring as an effort to promote efficiency within DOT,” Speaker Lucas concluded.

There are two weeks left in the 2015 legislative session and the House worked diligently on getting some Senate legislation through for a vote and tying up loose ends.

The first issue we dealt with was overriding Governor Haley’s veto of the Farm Aid Bill. Her veto was overridden with a near-unanimous and bipartisan vote. When the governor requested federal disaster resources as a result of the 2015 floods she requested funds for homeowners and small businesses but did not include resources for our farmers. By overriding the veto we make certain our state’s farmers and the jobs they provide stay right here in South Carolina and we don’t lose market share to China and Mexico.

My House colleagues and I have continued our commitment to passing strong ethics reform legislation. This week we strengthened and improved legislation providing for independent ethics oversight of all public officials. Unfortunately it was the only bill in our ethics reform package that passed the Senate and was returned to the House for second consideration.

I’m pleased to report final passage was granted this week for the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. Currently in our state, approximately 28 babies are aborted each year after 20 weeks (5 months). Governor Haley has indicated she will sign the new law which prohibits most abortions at 20 weeks after fertilization, the point when an unborn child can feel excruciating pain when aborted. We now join 17 other states that have also passed similar measures.

Finally, a Senate bill bonding $2.2 billion to repair our dangerous roads and bridges was given final approval by the House Ways and Means Committee. The bill was amended to add in strong Department of Transportation (DOT) restructuring and accountability measures which were not included in the Senate version. We must have DOT reform before any additional taxpayer dollars are given to the dysfunctional agency. It is important to note this bill does not allow for any new roads to be built, but requires the additional funds be used to fix our existing dilapidated roads and bridges. The bill heads to the House floor next week where it will be debated and a vote taken.

It is an honor to serve you and your family in the General Assembly. If you ever find yourself in need of assistance navigating state government, or if you have ideas on issues you want me to share with my colleagues in the House, don’t hesitate to contact me at 803 734-3045 at my office in Columbia or 963-0337 at home.

The House wrapped up the week with House negotiators continuing to push for DOT reform in the Senate version of the plan to fix our ailing roads and bridges. I hear from constituents like you on a regular basis concerning our state’s infrastructure issues, and providing a conservative solution remains my top priority. The Senate plan which has minimal reforms to the mismanaged Department of Transportation is still under discussion by the House Ways and Means Committee and I am confident they will produce a bill that doesn’t raise taxes, truly reforms the DOT, and gives you and your family safer roads on which to drive. As I have said before, I will continue to monitor this process and keep you up to date as a final plan is reached.

Over the past two weeks and after heavily amending them, the Senate sent back the few ethics bills they have been able to pass of the dozen we sent them. Ethics is easy when you believe in good government, and I am proud my House colleagues and I have led the way on strong reform measures. The House Judiciary Committee must now review and adjust the watered-down Senate ethics legislation on income disclosure and search for ways to accomplish more, not less true reforms within the bill language. I can assure you we will not let up in our endeavors to bring sunlight to the process.

The House Ways and Means Committee is also in the process of reviewing the state budget as amended by the Senate. I treat the allocation of your tax dollars as a very serious matter. I along with House budget staff and others will take the next week of furlough period to not only continue reviewing the Senate’s plans for our state tax dollars, but will make necessary adjustments based on the needs of our state.

In closing, you surely recall the devastating flooding our state experienced in 2015, causing tragic loss of life and property and hundreds of millions of dollars in damage to farmers who saw their crops destroyed. Agriculture is a thriving industry in our state and we are blessed to have dedicated family-owned farms operated by generational farmers who have worked our lands for hundreds of years. We simply cannot afford to let affected farmers go out of business as a result of the massive flooding. In our global economy, China and Mexico have already taken more than enough farming jobs from our state. Each time a farm closes in South Carolina, we cede more market share to bad actors like China. This week I am proud to report my House colleagues and I were able to concur with the Senate sending a final Farm Aid bill to Governor Nikki Haley’s desk for her signature.

It is an honor to serve you and your family in the General Assembly. If you ever find yourself in need of assistance navigating state government, or if you have ideas on issues you want me to share with my colleagues in the House, don’t hesitate to contact me at home at my office in Columbia at 803 734-3045 or at my home at 963-0337.

The House of Representatives appointed a conference committee to address its differences with the Senate on H.3579, legislation that includes DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION RESTRUCTURING AND ROAD FUNDING INITIATIVES.

The House amended, approved, and sent the Senate H.4763, legislation designated as “ALICIA’S LAW” to acknowledge the advocacy efforts of Alicia Kozakiewicz of Pennsylvania who, in 2002 at the age of thirteen, survived abduction by an Internet predator. The legislation provides for a 6.1% assessment on criminal court fines to be deposited in a newly-created INTERNET CRIMES AGAINST CHILDREN FUND that is to be used to investigate, prosecute, and prevent Internet crimes against children, such as cyberenticement and child pornography, including the necessary staffing, training, and equipment. Of the revenue credited to the fund each year, sixty percent must be allocated to the Attorney General to operate the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and the remaining forty percent must be transferred to the Department of Public Safety to provide grants to local law enforcement agencies.

The House approved S.1090 and enrolled the bill for ratification. The legislation names Chapter 19, Title 24 of the South Carolina Code of Laws the “JUDGE WILLIAM R. BYARS YOUTHFUL OFFENDER ACT” in recognition of the many contributions that Judge Byars has made to the juvenile justice system in such capacities as family court judge, Director of the Children’s Law Office at the University of South Carolina School of Law, Director of the Department of Juvenile Justice, and Director of the Department of Corrections.

The House concurred in Senate amendments to H.3768 and enrolled the bill for ratification. The legislation provides for the “SOUTH CAROLINA ABLE SAVINGS PROGRAM” that allows for the establishment of savings accounts as a means of empowering individuals with a disability and their families to save private funds to support the individual with a disability. The legislation establishes the Savings Program Trust Fund and Savings Expense Trust Fund and provides guidelines to the State Treasurer for the maintenance of these accounts. The legislation allows for state implementation that coordinates with the federal Achieving Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act of 2014.

The House approved S.849 and enrolled the bill for ratification. The legislation establishes REQUIREMENTS FOR INSURANCE PLAN PHARMACY BENEFITS MANAGERS TO COMPILE MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE DRUG COST LISTS that show the maximum amount for the cost of a particular generic drug that will be reimbursed to a pharmacist or pharmacy who provides covered health care services or supplies as a participating network plan provider. The legislation includes requirements for pharmacy benefit managers to make these maximum allowable cost lists available to network pharmacy providers and to review and update maximum allowable cost price information. Provisions are included that allow a pharmacy to appeal the provider’s reimbursement for a drug subject to maximum allowable cost pricing.

The House returned S.339, legislation designated as “HOPE’S LAW”, to the Senate with amendments. The legislation establishes REQUIREMENTS FOR MAMMOGRAPHY REPORTS TO BE PROVIDED TO PATIENTS THAT INCLUDE INFORMATION ABOUT BREAST DENSITY. When a mammogram shows that breast tissue is dense, the required report must include notice to the patient explaining that dense tissue is common and not abnormal, but can, however, make it harder to evaluate mammogram results and may also be associated with an increased risk of breast cancer.

The House amended, approved, and sent the Senate H.5140, a bill that makes revisions relating to a school district’s ANNUAL SCHOOL CALENDAR for teachers, staff, and students. The legislation provides that, beginning with the 2017-2018 school year, the school start date for students must not be before August fifteenth, rather than the opening date limit of the third Monday in August that is set in current law, except for schools operating on a yearround modified school calendar. The legislation revises the deadline for notification of teaching assignments and makes provisions for the types and timing of student assessments. Beginning in the 2017-2018 school year, the legislation requires, with certain exceptions, that school districts administer the statewide summative assessment for grades three through eight during the last twenty days of school and that such testing may not exceed seven days each school year.

The House amended, approved, and sent the Senate H.4774, a bill to provide for a two-year REAUTHORIZATION OF SOUTH CAROLINA FIRST STEPS TO SCHOOL READINESS so that the program is extended until July 1, 2018.

The House approved and sent the Senate H.4391, a bill REVISING THE UNIFORM ANATOMICAL GIFT ACT TO ALLOW FOR THE DONATION OF BRAIN TISSUE to be used only for research or education.

The House amended, approved, and sent the Senate H.4574, legislation enacting the “ELECTROLOGY PRACTICE ACT” to provide for the licensure and regulation of electrologists and electrology instructors by an Electrology Licensure Committee established under the Board of Medical Examiners. The legislation is offered as a means of ensuring minimum standards of competency for those who practice or offer instruction in electrology, which involves the permanent removal of hair from the skin through the application of an electric current.

The House amended, approved, and sent the Senate H.4492, a bill revising NOTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS FOR DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES CHILD PLACEMENT HEARINGS that inform foster parents, pre-adoptive parents, or relatives providing care to abused or neglected children so that, with certain exceptions, notification must be given at least ten days in advance. The legislation includes provisions that allow these parties to file reports with the family court.

The House amended, approved, and sent the Senate H.4525, a bill extending and revising provisions for DEVOTING A PORTION OF INSURANCE PREMIUM TAX REVENUES TO THE FUNDING OF FIREFIGHTING NEEDS AND EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES TRAINING. The legislation extends until June 30, 2030, the requirement for using two and one quarter percent of each year’s insurance premium tax revenues to fund emergency response needs and redistributes the revenue so that one percent is transferred to the South Carolina Forestry Commission to be used for firefighting and firefighting equipment replacement, one percent is transferred to the aid to fire districts account within the State Treasury to be distributed to local fire departments for firefighting equipment replacement, and one quarter of one percent is transferred to the aid to emergency medical services regional councils within the Department of Health and Environmental Control to be used for grants to fund emergency medical technician and paramedic training.

The House approved and sent the Senate H.4556, a bill providing a PROPERTY TAX EXEMPTION FOR PERMANENTLY AND TOTALLY DISABLED EMERGENCY MEDICAL TECHNICIANS. The legislation extends to permanently and totally disabled former emergency medical technicians the homeowner property tax exemption that is currently allowed for military veterans, former law enforcement officers, and former firefighters who are permanently and totally disabled.

The House concurred in Senate amendments to H.4712, a bill making clarifications regarding the CLASSIFICATION OF OFFPREMISES OUTDOOR ADVERTISING SIGNS AS PERSONAL PROPERTY FOR TAX PURPOSES. The legislation establishes conditions under which an off premises outdoor advertising sign is classified as tangible personal property for tax purposes, and establishes provisions under which the value of a lease or lease income on such billboards may not be used in the assessment of the tax value of the real property on which the advertising sign is erected. The legislation includes provisions for any sign permit required by local, state, or federal law to be considered as intangible personal property for ad valorem property tax purposes.

The House amended, approved, and sent the Senate H.4398, a bill establishing a FIREARMS EXEMPTION IN BANKRUPTCY CLAIMS. The legislation revises provisions for the real and personal property of a debtor that is exempt from attachment, levy, and sale in a bankruptcy proceeding by adding an exemption that covers any firearms not exceeding a total value of five thousand dollars owned by the debtor. The legislation revises the exemption for a debtor’s aggregate interest, not to exceed fifty thousand dollars in value by providing that, except that a surviving spouse may exempt, in addition to their interest, the aggregate interest of a deceased spouse not to exceed fifty thousand dollars in value.

The House amended, approved, and sent the Senate H.4795, a bill ALLOWING A STUDENT WHO HAS BEEN AWARDED A PALMETTO FELLOWS SCHOLARSHIP THE OPTION OF DEFERRING ENROLLMENT IN A HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTION FOR ONE YEAR following high school graduation without declining the award.

The House returned S.1013, a bill overhauling and updating the licensure and regulation of REAL ESTATE BROKERS, SALESPERSONS, AND PROPERTY MANAGERS, to the Senate with amendments. Notably, the bill includes provisions for the operation of real estate teams supervised by a broker-in-charge and increases continuing education requirements for real estate license renewals from eight hours to ten hours.

The House amended, approved, and sent the Senate H.5023, a bill making various revisions to the SOUTH CAROLINA REAL ESTATE APPRAISER LICENSE AND CERTIFICATION ACT. Notably, the legislation makes provisions for one of the members of the Real Estate Appraisers Board to be a certified residential appraiser and includes alignment provisions for federal and state chartered banks.

The House amended, approved, and sent the Senate H.3969, a bill making provisions that allow for the ELECTRONIC TRANSMISSION OF INSURANCE NOTICES AND DOCUMENTS should the insured choose to receive notices and documents electronically.

The House approved and sent the Senate H.5040, a bill updating and revising various provisions relating to the application and enforcement of the CONSUMER PROTECTION CODE.

The House amended, adopted, and sent the Senate H.5108, a concurrent resolution establishing a temporary STUDY COMMITTEE TO ASSESS THE ROLE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT FLEETS IN HIRING ENTRY-LEVEL COMMERCIAL DRIVER’S LICENSED DRIVERS.

Thank you for the honor to represent you in the South Carolina House of Representatives and please feel free to contact me via email at garrysmith@schouse.gov or call me at my office in Columbia at 803 734-3045 or at home at 864 963-0337.

Garry R. Smith
SC House of Representatives
District 27 – Greenville County

The following is a summary and comparison of the bill passed yesterday by the SC House with the bill passed by the SC Senate.

H-3579 Amendment #1 – Strike All and Insert

Section 1
All Highway Commissioners are appointed by the Governor, 7 district and 1 state-wide
Keeps the qualifications for Commissioners removed in senate version
Requires that “other demographic factors such as residence in rural or urban areas” be considered
Advice and consent of General Assembly by a roll call vote of both bodies
Commissioners serve four year terms, no more than two consecutive terms, and may not serve more than 12 years, regardless of when the term is/was served (retroactive)

Section 2
Commission appoints a Secretary of Transportation with Advice/Consent of General Assembly by a roll call vote of both bodies
Secretary serves at the pleasure of the Commission

Sections 3
Places the SCDOT Chief Internal Auditor under the State Auditor

Section 5
Sections 1-4 take effect on July 1, 2016
Members serving on the Commission on June 30, 2016 shall continue to serve until their current term expires, and until their successor is appointed and confirmed
Vacancies are filled by appointment of the Governor, and serve until the end of that unexpired term
Any eligible commissioner may be reappointed by Governor on or after June 30, 2016

Section 6
Before any loan or financial assistance can be provided by the SIB, the board must submit the decision to the DOT Commission for approval, rejection, or a request for additional information from the SIB Board
Does not relate to any payment or contractual obligations that the DOT has to the bank that are pledged to any bonds issued by the bank

Section 1
Commissioners are appointed by the Governor, 7 district and 1 state-wide, with Advice and Consent of the Senate
State-wide appointment serves as Chairman
Requires that “other demographic factors such as residence in rural or urban areas” be considered
Commissioners serve four year terms which expire December 31 of the appropriate year
Commissioners may serve in a hold-over capacity for a maximum of 5 months
Commissioners serve out remainder of current terms

Section 2
Commission appoints a Secretary of Transportation with consultation and approval of the Governor, must have Advice/Consent of the Senate

Section 3
Before any loan or financial assistance can be provided by the SIB, the board must submit the decision to the DOT Commission for approval, rejection, or a request for additional information from the SIB Board
Does not relate to any payment or contractual obligations that the DOT has to the bank that are pledged to any bonds issued by the bank

Section 4
General Assembly must appropriate $400 M to the State Highway Fund
Does not specify recurring/non-recurring
Funds must be contained in W&Ms, House, SFC, Senate and Conference Report of the Appropriations Bill

In our 10th week of legislative session in the South Carolina House, we made headway on committee work, pouring over the Senate’s amendments to our roads plan, and taking the first steps to amend our bankruptcy laws, making them friendlier to gun owners.

My colleagues and I also worked diligently this week to clear the House calendar as we enter into the annual budget debate next week. Unlike Washington, we take time to balance our budget each year. I take a conservative approach to allocating state funds, and I value your input. Last week I sent a link to the budget proposal for fiscal years 2016/2017 as proposed by the House Ways and Means Committee. I have provided it here again in case you missed it. http://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess121_2015-2016/appropriations2016/wm16ndx.php

The House Judiciary Committee’s General and Family Law Subcommittee approved a measure amending our state’s bankruptcy laws to ensure they are friendly to gun owners. You may ask, “What does bankruptcy have to do with the right to keep and bear arms?” Good question. During bankruptcy proceedings those who have fallen on hard times are many times required to sell off certain assets to satisfy their debts – in some cases including firearms. The provision approved this week would allow gun owners to keep up to three firearms and up to 1,000 rounds of ammunition per firearm in any bankruptcy proceeding. This ensures those who must undergo the unfortunate scenario of filing for bankruptcy do not also lose their ability to exercise one of the most important constitutional amendments.

Finally, if you were able to read my update from last week and as you may have seen in various news reports, the Senate finally sent back their amendments to our roads and infrastructure funding bill. My House colleagues and I have continued to look closely at the Senate changes. The issue of fixing our roads while creating a long-term solution to our immediate problem remains complex.

We have worked for years in the House to address the failed governance model of the Department of Transportation (DOT) tasked with paving and maintaining our roads. While the Senate roads plan does call for additional road and infrastructure funding, that money can actually only be spent as part of the budget process. We will be proactive in making sure these extra funds are part of next week’s budget debate. Also, the Senate version may not reform the DOT enough, likely requiring us to consider amending their changes for more significant reform to the DOT making the agency more accountable and efficient. After the annual budget debate which begins March 21st, we will take up the Senate’s amendments to the road funding bill, and I welcome your input.

As always, thank you for the privilege of serving you in Columbia. If I can ever be of assistance to you, or if you have ideas on issues you want me to share with the rest of the General Assembly, please don’t hesitate to contact me 963-0337 at home or 803 734-3045 at my office in Columbia.

We finished up the week of legislative session in the South Carolina House clearing the way for South Carolina institutions of higher learning to be more competitive in addition to making significant headway on important pro-life reform.

After a year of pressure from South Carolinians who continue to suffer on our hazardous roadways, the Senate has finally amended and returned the road/DOT reform bill we sent them last year. We will be discussing and debating their revisions this week.

Citizens should expect and receive certain basic services from their government, safe roads and bridges being chief among them. I continue to hear from voters in our district that fixing our roads remains their top priority. My House colleagues and I do not intend to delay the passage of this important road funding legislation and will address it as quickly as we are able to do so.

I’m pleased to report we have but one final hurdle to clear in getting the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act to a conference committee. In conference, minute details can be cleared up between both the House and Senate allowing a final passage in both legislative bodies placing the bill on Governor Nikki Haley’s desk for her signature. As House conservatives, we have been working for many months to move this important legislation, and I am hopeful that in the coming weeks I will be able to report our efforts have been successful. Protecting the unborn from violent pain while in the womb is not a political issue, but a moral imperative that I am proud to support.

Finally, after many months of deliberation in subcommittee and full committee the House Ways and Means Committee introduced the state’s annual budget for fiscal year 2016/2017. The bill is currently in the process of being printed and preparations are underway for initial debate on the House floor. Funding our necessities in South Carolina with your precious tax dollars is a responsibility I take seriously.

As always, thank you for the privilege of serving you in Columbia. If I can ever be of assistance to you, or if you have ideas on issues you want me to share with the rest of the General Assembly, please don’t hesitate to contact me at 803 734-3045 in Columbia or 963-0337 at home.